James 1:22

James 1:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
• New International Version (NIV)Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Context of James 1:22

20Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

James 1:22 word by word

Γίνεσθε δὲ ποιηταὶ λόγου καὶ μὴ μόνον ἀκροαταὶ παραλογιζόμενοι ἑαυτούς.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• beγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• ye doersποιητήςpoiētēs · doerG4163
• of the wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• notμήmē · notG3361
• hearersἀκροατήςakroatēs · hearerG202
• onlyμόνονmonon · onlyG3440
• deceivingπαραλογίζομαιparalogizomai · to deceiveG3884
• your own selvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438

Cross-references for James 1:22

• James 4:17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
• Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
• Matthew 12:50Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
• Matthew 28:20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
• Luke 6:46“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?
• Luke 11:28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
• Luke 12:47“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.
• John 13:17Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
• Romans 2:13For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
• Philippians 4:8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
• Colossians 3:17And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
• 1 John 2:3And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.
• 1 John 3:7Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.
• 3 John 1:11Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.
• Revelation 22:7“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book. ”
• James 1:26If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

Commentaries on James 1:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22But be ye doers of the word - They had heard this doctrine; they had believed it; but they had put it to no practical use. They were downright Antinomians, who put a sort of stupid, inactive faith in the place of all moral righteousness. This is sufficiently evident from the second chapter. Deceiving your own selves - ̔· Imposing on your own selves by sophistical arguments; this is the meaning of the words. They had reasoned themselves into a state of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only - Obey the gospel, and do not merely listen to it. Compare Matthew 7:21. Deceiving your own selves - It is implied here, that by merely hearing the word but not doing it, they would deceive their own souls. The nature of this deception was this, that they would imagine that that was all which was required, whereas the main thing was that they should be obedient. If a man supposes that by a mere punctual…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-25Verses 22-25 If we heard a sermon every day of the week, and an angel from heaven were the preacher, yet, if we rested in hearing only, it would never bring us to heaven. Mere hearers are self-deceivers; and self-deceit will be found the worst deceit at last. If we flatter ourselves, it is our own fault; the truth, as it is in Jesus, flatters no man. Let the word of truth be carefully attended to, and it will set before us the corruption of our nature…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22Reading the scriptures was an important part of worship (Luke 4:16–17; Acts 13:13–16; Colossians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:13). Most people could not read and there were very few copies available. So, they listened to the scriptures being read aloud during public worship.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2222. Qualification of the precept, "Be swift to hear": "Be ye doers ... not hearers only"; not merely "Do the word," but "Be doers" systematically and continually, as if this was your regular business. James here again refers to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 7:21-29). deceiving your own selves--by the logical fallacy (the Greek implies this) that the mere hearing is all that is needed.Read the comment

Topics related to James 1:22

• Commandments
• Doer
• Hearers
• Hypocrisy
• Obedience
• Word of God
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Entice
• Fade
• Lack
• Lay
• Liberally
• Lust
• Pure
• Receive
• Religion
• Swift

Commentaries on James 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings